in a cyclical upturn. >> reporter: now, the other scenario: >> in an environment where we go off the fiscal cliff and we see continued problems on the debt side for the u.s., i think the gold price outperforms the white metals. >> reporter: gold's price will also depend on whether central banks continue to diversify their holdings into gold, and whether they implement more quantitative easing to boost growth. the outlook for platinum is a little more complicated. there have been major supply disruptions due to labor unrest in south africa, which produces nearly all of the world's platinum. it also depends on demand. >> europe is a key part of the platinum demand picture. if europe can recover, certainly that's going to bode well for platinum demand. if the price trades higher, it may affect some of the price- sensitive sectors like jewelry, like chinese jewelry demand. >> reporter: of course, many investors only buy metals for investment reasons. currently, there's over $150 billion invested in gold exchange-traded funds, an all- time high. erika miller, nbr, new york. >> tom: the br